Australia news live: Sydney trains plagued by morning cancellations due to ‘urgent’ repairs to overhead wires

Australia news live: Sydney trains plagued by morning cancellations due to ‘urgent’ repairs to overhead wires

The Guardian •

Commuters warned journey may take an extra 45 minutes as ‘limited’ buses replace north short trains. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.We begin with a classic “commuter chaos” update: there are widespr...

US strikes a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing 2 people in first attack in months

US strikes a vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing 2 people in first attack in months

The Guardian •

US Southern Command has struck another vessel in the eastern Pacific, killing two accused of trafficking drugsAfter a pause of more than two months, the US military announced Monday that it once again carried out a strike on a vessel in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people accused of trafficking drugs.It brings the overall death toll to 223 people killed in 67 strikes during the nearly ye...

US targets China’s telecoms grip in Venezuela with new sanctions carve-out

US targets China’s telecoms grip in Venezuela with new sanctions carve-out

SCMP •

The United States is opening Venezuela’s telecommunications sector to new investment and technology while explicitly excluding Chinese companies, a move that could reshape a market where Huawei and ZTE have become deeply embedded and give Western suppliers an opening as the country expands its 5G networks. The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Friday issued two ge...

Trump bought shares in Musk’s SpaceX in June, disclosure reveals

Trump bought shares in Musk’s SpaceX in June, disclosure reveals

SCMP •

US President Donald Trump invested as much as US$50,000 ⁠in Elon Musk’s SpaceX in June, according to a public financial disclosure, giving him a financial stake in a major government contractor run by his former adviser. Trump bought between US$15,001 and US$50,000 in shares on June 23, according to a financial disclosure signed ‌by him on August 12 and made public on August 22. The purchase was p...

Trump bought shares in Elon Musk’s SpaceX in June, financial disclosure shows

Trump bought shares in Elon Musk’s SpaceX in June, financial disclosure shows

SCMP •

US President Donald Trump invested as much as US$50,000 ⁠in Elon Musk’s SpaceX in June, according to a public financial disclosure, giving him a financial stake in a major government contractor run by his former adviser. Trump bought between US$15,001 and US$50,000 in shares on June 23, according to a financial disclosure signed ‌by him on August 12 and made public on August 22. The purchase was p...

US removes Syria from state sponsor of terrorism list in major diplomatic shift

US removes Syria from state sponsor of terrorism list in major diplomatic shift

SCMP •

The United States on Monday removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, rescinding a decades-old designation that came with severe economic restrictions and marking another step in warming ties between the countries. The US Department of State also revoked its designation of al-Nusra Front – latterly known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – as a global terrorist organisation. The Trea...

US removes Syria from state sponsor of terrorism list

US removes Syria from state sponsor of terrorism list

SCMP •

The United States on Monday delisted Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, rescinding a decades-old designation that had severely impeded investment. The US State Department also revoked its designation of al-Nusrah Front – also known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – as a global terrorist organisation, leaving Cuba, Iran and ‌North Korea as the three countries designated by Washington as state spo...